1. Field of Invention
This invention relates generally to shrimp shellers, and more particularly to such devices having a vertically disposed sharp edge following an insertable probe preceding the sharp edge.
2. Description of Prior Art
The job of shelling shrimp is the subject of numerous patents. The simplest device is disclosed in Paoli, U.S. Pat. No. 2,648,094, which shows a plain wedge provided with a top cutting surface, which runs generally parallel to the shell of the shrimp; it is usually quite ineffective to slice the shell unless the shell is very forcibly pulled downwardly over the cutting surface. This is especially difficult with large size shrimp with a heavy shell. Usually, the shell is not cut at all, but is detached from the flesh, and the flesh is pushed out of the shell by the increased width of the wedge.
The patent to Weinberger, U.S. Pat. No. 2,647,278 is an example of a shrimp sheller wherein a pair of jaws are inserted between the flesh and shell of a shrimp body, and then the jaws are expanded to pop the shell off. In use, the expanding of the jaws may be dispensed with, for the shell may be freed from the flesh at least on one side, but left adherent on the other. In reality, this device functions something like Paoli, in that the jaws have increasing height from tip to handle, and thus wedge the shrimp shell loose. These are typical of other patents for shrimp shellers.